Chapter 612: Let's Have a Talk
Li Daoxuan strolled through the streets of Xi'an Prefecture, a birdcage swinging in his hand.
After an aggressive acquisition spree, Li Daoxuan had taken ownership of at least half of Xi'an Prefecture's businesses. This half was primarily concentrated in the four major sectors of "clothing, food, housing, and transportation."
Grain stores, carriage services, fabric shops... real estate, ah, scratch that, scratch that.
He seized them all.
Once these four key industries were under control, Gao Family Village embarked on a furious campaign of price reduction. Of course, this wasn't arbitrary slashing, but a calculated strategy based on Gao Family Village's current production capabilities and the balance of supply and demand.
With advanced textile machines, how could cloth possibly remain expensive? Naturally, prices had to be cut.
With celestial fertilizer, grain yields had doubled, so how could prices not fall?
These two price reductions significantly lowered the cost of living for the common folk, allowing them to breathe a long sigh of relief. Various industries were stimulated, revitalized, and blossomed anew.
The city's atmosphere transformed almost overnight.
As he walked, he mused, "Xi'an hasn't experienced any major storms, so I don't need to worry too much here. The problem is along the Yellow River, where it's raining heavily every few days. If this continues, something bad is bound to happen. I can only check in on Xi'an occasionally; my focus needs to shift to the Yellow River region."
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a soft sedan chair approached. It was unadorned, simply finished in black, and flanked by a large group of guards. It was clear at a glance that the passenger was someone of considerable status, deliberately traveling discreetly.
Li Daoxuan gave a low chuckle. "The Prince of Qin's residence?"
The sedan curtain parted, revealing Zhu Cunji's face. "Mr. Li, shall we find a place to chat for a bit?"
For a dignified heir to the realm's foremost princely fiefdom to proactively stop a mere gentry member on the street for a conversation was certainly a show of immense respect.
This was likely only possible because he was still an heir. Had he already been officially crowned the Prince of Qin, he might not have been able to bring himself to do such a thing.
Li Daoxuan smiled. "Sure thing!"
Zhu Cunji pointed to a brothel on the street, "Piaoxiang Yuan," and said, "How about we go inside the brothel to talk?"
Before Li Daoxuan could answer, the myna bird in the cage suddenly chirped, "What's the point of a brothel? Can't even get it up! How much sorrow can a gentleman bear? It's like a group of eunuchs visiting a brothel."
Zhu Cunji let out a choked "Pfft!"
Li Daoxuan burst into laughter, his silicone face contorted into a terrifying, stiff, eerie smile. "Alright, alright, let's chat in the brothel."
That smile sent shivers down Zhu Cunji's spine, but the arrow was on the string; it had to be shot. He could only bite the bullet and proceed.
The two men arrived in front of Piaoxiang Yuan.
Normally, a brothel madam would rush out to greet him, but Zhu Cunji noticed that today, no madam appeared. Instead, a burly man, tall and broad, walked over and blocked his sedan chair. "This establishment is no longer open to the public. It has been renamed 'Stars Performing Arts Agency.' Please do not trespass."
The Prince of Qin's heir was utterly bewildered. "What? What kind of... agency?"
Li Daoxuan stepped around from the other side of the sedan chair, smiling. "I almost forgot, this place has already been acquired by my people."
The burly man saw Li Daoxuan and immediately snapped into a standard military salute, then stepped aside, clearing the way.
Li Daoxuan led the way in. "Please, come in."
Zhu Cunji, still confused, left his guards outside and followed Li Daoxuan in.
The Piaoxiang Yuan, usually a lively hub of pleasure, had completely transformed. It no longer featured alluring temptations for men. Instead, it resembled an opera troupe's quarters, with various costumes piled up, sheet music and musical instruments scattered everywhere, and many people bustling about...
As these people hurried past Li Daoxuan, they would quickly compose themselves, salute respectfully, and then continue rushing to their tasks.
On the stage in the center of Piaoxiang Yuan's main hall, several women in everyday clothes were rehearsing songs and dances. However, their performance was merely youthful and vibrant, not designed to entice men.
Zhu Cunji's brain was in a semi-shutdown state. "What exactly happened here?"
Li Daoxuan smiled. "This place is still in preparation. In half a month, the first concert will be held. Perhaps Your Highness would care to attend then; you'll understand once you see it."
Zhu Cunji stammered, "Uh! Alright."
The two men went up to a private room on the second floor and sat down. However, no one came to attend to them; no tea or water was brought, and no girls entered to serve wine. The private room felt as quiet as a scholar's study.
Zhu Cunji had truly never been treated with such utter disregard for his noble status. He felt a grudging admiration, while quietly cursing in his heart: *It's one thing not to serve *me* a cup of tea, but you don't even prepare tea for your *own* patron?*
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he saw Li Daoxuan, sitting opposite him, pour a cup of water himself.
Zhu Cunji thought: *So, you don't use servants, but personally pour my water. This shows respect for me.*
The moment he thought this, Li Daoxuan held the cup of water out to the myna bird's cage. "Good bird, drink your water."
Zhu Cunji: "!!!"
Zhu Cunji's anger meter began to charge...
Li Daoxuan asked, "What did Your Highness wish to discuss on this visit?"
Zhu Cunji cleared his throat. "Mr. Li, the businesses you've been managing for Wu Shen and Shi Kefa have been doing quite well recently."
Li Daoxuan replied, "Oh, so-so, just third in the world."
Zhu Cunji couldn't make sense of the strange remark, but he sensed mockery. His anger meter shot up two more bars.
He forcibly suppressed his fury. "Those Wu Shen and Shi Kefa are merely two pedantic scholars. Surely, Mr. Li, working for them must have its unpleasant aspects, no? For instance... certain goods that could fetch high prices... they insist you sell cheaply to the poor, costing you who knows how much silver."
Li Daoxuan exclaimed, "Oh, indeed! Your Highness speaks the absolute truth. Some things are truly sold too cheaply. Especially the clothes the Prince of Qin's heir's residence ordered from my fabric store – far too cheap, I barely broke even. I think at least five thousand taels, no, ten thousand taels per piece, that would truly reflect the status and standing of the Princess Consort."
Zhu Cunji: "..."
His anger meter shot up two more bars.
Li Daoxuan continued, "And chicken, pork, beef — all too cheap. How can special provisions for the Prince of Qin's heir's residence be priced the same as for common paupers? They must be more luxurious and grand. Every item should be increased to a thousand taels of silver per catty, so the Prince of Qin's heir's residence can truly taste a nobility unlike any other."
Zhu Cunji: "!!"
His anger meter maxed out with a furious surge.
Now, Zhu Cunji only needed to rotate the joystick half-circle forward, then half-circle back, and press the 'A' button to unleash his ultimate move...
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